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What countries are in Central America? Central America countries

Description of Central America: list of countries, capitals, cities and resorts. Photos and videos, oceans and seas, mountains, rivers and lakes of Central America. Tour operators and tours in Central America.

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Central America is the region from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to Panama, geographically located in North America.

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How to get there

There are no direct flights from Russia to Central American countries; planes fly with connections in Europe and/or the USA. When traveling to smaller countries (for example, Belize), an additional connection may be required in one of the nearby countries - Mexico or Cuba.

Climate of Central America

This region is located in the tropical and subequatorial climate zones. Temperatures at any time of the year range from only +22 to +28 °C, at altitudes of 1000 m the temperature is 5-8 degrees lower, so Central America remains a popular tourist destination all year round.

History of the region

People began to inhabit the lands of Central America about 15 thousand years ago. Before Europeans discovered these territories, representatives of several Indian cultures lived here: Olmecs, Mayans, Toltecs and Aztecs. After Columbus discovered America, European treasure hunters flocked here. In 1510, the Spanish conquistador Vasco de Balboa founded the colony of Panama and became its governor. And when Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec capital in 1519, one of the richest countries in the world ceased to exist, becoming just one of the provinces of Spain. At the end of the 17th century, Britain, France and Holland entered the struggle for the territories of Central America. But when the European powers went to war with each other in 1811, rebellion broke out in the American provinces as settlers demanded independence from Europe.

This geographical area, while not a continent, is considered a separate part of the world partly due to its history.

Territories were united into unions and transferred to one state or another. After the collapse of the First Mexican Empire in 1823, which included part of the Central American lands, for 17 years there existed a separate state - the United Provinces of Central America or the Federation of Central America. It included Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Los Altos (now the territories of Guatemala and the Mexican state of Chiapas).

After the Civil War in 1838-40. The Federation collapsed. The countries that were part of it became independent, but several more times, until the 1920s, attempts were made to unite them again into one state. They received sovereignty at different times, for example, Panama from Spain and Colombia - in 1903, and Belize from Great Britain - only in 1981.

Across Central America

Central American countries

Central America now includes 7 countries: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua and El Salvador.

Belize is the only English-speaking country in Central America (until 1973 it was called British Honduras), but Spanish is also spoken here. Located on the Yucatan Peninsula. Up to 40% of its territory is occupied by national parks and reserves; the coastal zone has many lakes and lagoons with stunning coral reefs. However, the ruins of ancient Mayan cities, temples lost in the jungle and other buildings that testify to the former power of the ancient civilization brought the country the greatest fame. The capital is Belmopan.

Guatemala- one of the most popular tourist destinations in the region. Windsurfers (Atlantic coast), lovers of a relaxing holiday (Pacific coast) and connoisseurs of natural attractions come here: it is in Guatemala that you can see volcanic landscapes (there are 33 volcanoes in Guatemala, of which 4 are active) and Lake Atitlan, one of the deepest in the world. The most famous historical places are the buildings of the Mayan civilization. The capital is Guatemala City.

Honduras also often visited by those interested in history. On its territory there was one of the major centers of Mayan civilization - the city of Copan, the ruins of which were discovered in the forests by scientists only in the mid-19th century. The remains of pyramids, temples and other religious buildings have been preserved here. In addition, Honduras is a paradise for extreme sports enthusiasts (scuba diving, rafting, mountain travel), and the 650-kilometer Caribbean coast is famous for its magnificent beaches. The capital is Tegusilgapa.

Costa Rica- one of the smallest states in Central America, located in the narrowest part of the Isthmus of Panama. Costa Rica is called one of the most beautiful countries in the region: mountain ranges, emerald volcanic lakes, cloudy rainforests, waterfalls, silver sand beaches, national parks and reserves occupying a quarter of the country's territory. The capital is San Jose.

Nicaragua- on the contrary, the largest country in Central America. Travelers who prefer ecotourism come here: climbing active and extinct volcanoes, traveling through the jungle and to picturesque lagoons. Here is one of the natural wonders of the planet - Lake Nicaragua, above which the island of Ometepe literally rises, formed by two volcanoes of an ideal conical shape: Concepcion and Maderas. The capital is Managua.

Visa-free entry for Russian citizens has been opened in Nicaragua and Panama.

Central America is a region located between North and South America, belonging geologically and geographically to the North American continent. Historically, Central America can be considered as an independent part of the world.

The dominant language in Central America is Spanish, with the only exception being English-speaking Belize. The population of Central America comes from indigenous people - Indians, as well as from Europeans and the African slaves they brought.

Either partially overlaps with or is entirely included in Middle America, depending on the understanding of the latter.

In physical geography

In physical geography, Central America is most often understood as part of the North American continent from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to the Isthmus of Panama (sometimes the territory is extended beyond both isthmuses for various reasons - for example, the northern border is drawn along the border of the Neotropical zone).

Forested lowlands, plains and swamps lie along the coast of Central America. The region is crossed by rivers and mountain ranges. Most of Central America is occupied by medium-high mountains that are part of the Cordillera mountain system (Sierra Madre Southern, Sierra Madre de Chiapas, etc.). Severely fragmented mountain ranges predominate, cut by deep river gorges, sometimes with areas of smoothed plateaus, alternating with tectonic depressions. From the border of Mexico, where the highest peak of Central America rises - the Tajumulco volcano (height 4217 m), to Western Panama on the Pacific side, they are joined by the Volcanic Ridge with many active volcanoes, including those that arose in historical times (Santa Maria, Atitlan, Santa Ana, Cosiguina, Poas, Irazu, etc.). Large lowlands are located only in the north - the accumulative Tabasco and Mosquito Coast (Mosquitia) and the Yucatan Peninsula, composed mainly of limestone with a wide development of karst processes and forms.

In the northern part there are relatively stable blocks of the Central American Massif and the Yucatan Plate, while the southern part is occupied by the Cordillera folded belt. The Central American massif is formed by a complex complex of Paleozoic and possibly Precambrian metamorphic rocks (graywackes, siliceous shales, diabases, amphibolites, gneisses), unconformably overlain by Carboniferous-Permian and Triassic-Jurassic continental sediments, as well as Cretaceous limestones. Devonian, Carboniferous and Cretaceous granitoids are widespread. The Yucatan Plate is an Epipaleozoic platform; consists of a folded base composed of metamorphic rocks, Paleozoic and possibly Precambrian in age, and an unconformably overlying almost horizontal cover of sedimentary rocks of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic (up to 6 km thick): red sediments of the Triassic, evaporites and limestones of the Jurassic and Cretaceous, Paleogene-Neogene terrigenous sediments. The folded belt of the Cordillera, in a very reduced form, continues the structures of the Cordillera of Mexico; southeast of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, it is separated from the Central American Massif by the Chiapas foredeep, filled with marine and continental sediments of the Paleogene and Neogene. At the base of this belt, a Paleozoic metamorphic fold complex is exposed in places, which is covered in Guatemala by Late Paleozoic molasse. The main place is occupied by Mesozoic, predominantly Cretaceous carbonate and flysch strata, which host large bodies of hypermafic rocks. In the southern regions of the Mesozoic, products of underwater volcanism of basic composition, formed under oceanic conditions, are widely developed. These areas are characterized by the development of salt domes. The main folding dates back to the Late Cretaceous - Early Paleogene. A strip of folded Cretaceous and older rocks forms a gentle arc and disappears in the northeast under the waters of the Gulf of Honduras. On various older structures lies a belt of Neogene and modern volcanoes that stretches from Mexico to the Panama Canal along the Pacific coast, parallel to the Central American deep-sea trench. The formation of the Isthmus of Panama, which separated the Caribbean Sea from the Pacific Ocean, is associated with young volcanic and tectonic activity.

Minerals

Of the mineral resources in Central America, gold and silver ores are known, represented by medium-sized (El Rosario in Honduras) and small-sized (Pis Pis, La Luz in Nicaragua) hydrothermal deposits associated with chalk intrusions and placers (Coco in Nicaragua ), as well as small deposits of antimony and mercury. Small deposits of chromites are associated with hypermafic bodies; with Neogene volcanic intrusions - large porphyry copper deposits of Panama (Cerro Colorado and Cerro Petaquilla). Oil and gas deposits are confined to the salt domes of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

Due to heavy rainfall and the mountainous nature of the relief, the annual runoff in Central America usually exceeds 600 mm, reaching 1500 mm or more on the Caribbean slopes of Costa Rica and Panama, only on the southern slopes of the Sierra Madre Sur and in the north-west of the Yucatan Peninsula is the runoff layer less than 100 mm. The river network is dense, with the exception of the Yucatan Peninsula, which is almost devoid of surface watercourses. Short, stormy, rapids rivers predominate; the largest are Motagua, Patuca and Coco. The rivers of the Atlantic Ocean basin are full of water throughout the year; rivers flowing into the Pacific Ocean are characterized by sharp fluctuations in flow and severe summer floods. There are many lakes in tectonic basins, including the largest ones - Nicaragua, Managua, Izabal, Atitlan.

The Pacific coast with a narrow intermittent strip of coastal lowland in the northern part is rectilinear, in the southern part it is strongly dissected by bays (Fonseca, Nicoya, Chiriqui, Montijo, Panama, etc.), forms a number of peninsulas (Nicoya, Osa, Azuero, etc.) and is accompanied by mainland islands (Coiba, Sebaco, Rey, etc.). The shores of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of Campeche) and the Caribbean Sea are predominantly low, lagoonal (lagoons of Caratasca, Chiriqui, etc.), only in the southeastern part of the base of the Yucatan Peninsula does the Gulf of Honduras extend deeply; The shores are fringed with small, mainly coral islands.

The region is hot and humid, with temperatures rarely falling below 24°C. The climate is hotter on the coast, while the climate is cooler in the mountains and plateaus. From June to September, some areas receive more than 300 mm of rainfall per month. Central America lies in the tropical (up to the depression of the Republic of Nicaragua) and subequatorial climate zones. Due to its position in low latitudes (7-22° N), it receives a lot of solar heat (radiation balance, over 80 kcal/cm² per year, 1 kcal = 4.19 kJ) and has high temperatures throughout the year (the average temperature of the coldest month in the lowlands is from 22-24 °C in the north to 26 °C in the south, the warmest is 26-28 °C; in the mountains at an altitude of 1000-2000 m it is 5-8 °C lower). On the northeastern, windward (relative to the trade winds from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea) slopes there is a constantly humid climate, precipitation falls from 1500-2000 mm per year in the north to 3000 mm (in some places up to 7000 mm) in the south. On the leeward Pacific slopes, precipitation is associated with summer cyclones in the north and equatorial monsoons in the south; winter is usually dry, with 1000-1800 mm of precipitation per year. The interior basins and the low-lying northwest of the Yucatan Peninsula parallel to the trade winds receive less than 500 mm of precipitation per year. In the south of Central America, exposure differences are erased and on the Pacific slope the winter dry season is weakly expressed.

Central America has rich forests, where valuable hardwood trees such as mahogany grow. But in some places, such as Costa Rica, deforestation is occurring at an unusually high rate. National parks have been established to preserve the surviving forest areas. Jaguars, monkeys, snakes, caimans, iguanas, many species of birds, as well as various species of butterflies and other insects are in danger of extinction due to the destruction of forests.

The lowlands and northeastern windward slopes up to an altitude of 800 m (Tierra Caliente belt) are dominated by tropical evergreen forests on red-yellow lateritic, predominantly ferrallite soils; they contain many palm trees, trees with valuable colored wood, vines, and epiphytes. Significant areas, especially in the Tabasco lowlands, are swampy; the shores are lined with mangroves. Near the coasts there are plantations of bananas, cocoa, pineapples and other tropical crops; in the arid north-west of the Yucatan Peninsula, where xerophilous forests and shrubs grow, there are agave (henequen) plantations. Altitudinal zones are clearly defined in the mountains. Up to an altitude of 1700 m there is a belt of Tierra Templada, where heat-loving species disappear and tree ferns predominate; from an altitude of 1700 m (Tierra Fria belt) - mixed forests of evergreen deciduous (oaks, magnolias, etc.) and coniferous (pines, Guatemalan fir, Lusitanian cypress, yew, etc.); above 3200 m alpine meadows occur in fragments, in the south - high-mountain equatorial paramos meadows. On the highlands, on mountain red and brown-red laterized soils, coniferous-hard-leaved, and in some places pure pine forests are common; Pasture cattle breeding is developed here, corn, potatoes, and legumes are grown. On the Pacific slopes there are predominantly deciduous (during drought) tropical forests (ceiba, coccoloba, etc.) on mountain red ferrallitic soils, giving way below, in the driest areas and in the interior basins, to spiny woodlands, shrubs, thickets of cacti and secondary savannas on brown-red soils; coffee plantations (at an altitude of 600-900 m), tobacco, sugar cane and cotton. The floristic composition is characterized by a predominance of North American species north of the Nicaragua basin and South American species south of it.

There are broad-nosed monkeys, peccaries, tapirs, armadillos, jaguar, blood-sucking bats, many birds, reptiles and insects. The northern part is also characterized by representatives of North America - lynxes, raccoons, many rodents (gophers, hares, squirrels, shrews, bag rats, etc.). There are endemic species among tapirs, rodents, bats and birds.

Agriculture

Most of the population is engaged in agriculture. In the highlands, cattle are raised and bananas, sugar cane, and cotton are grown for export. Central America produces about a tenth of the world's coffee production. Chewing gum is made from the milky sap of the chicle tree, or bootilla. A rich harvest of cocoa beans, the raw material for making chocolate, is harvested here. Corn, beans and rice grown in the region are the main staple foods of the local population.

Industry is poorly developed; it is still based on small factories producing clothing, shoes and other everyday goods. Handicraft pottery, woolen carpets, leather goods and hats are sold to tourists.

The majority of the modern population of Central America is of mixed, predominantly Indian-Spanish, origin. In El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Panama, this is the vast majority of residents. In Guatemala, about half the population are Indians who speak their own languages. In Costa Rica, the descendants of the Spanish colonists hardly mixed with the local Indians. Panama is characterized by a large proportion of black population (12-15%). In the 16th century, these lands were conquered by the Spaniards, who were looking for gold here. Before that, they were inhabited by various Indian tribes, including the Mayans, who dominated here from 300 to 900. The first European settlers bought African slaves, whose descendants still live in Nicaragua, Belize and Panama. Spanish is spoken throughout the region, although English is the official language in Belize. Many people also speak local Indian languages.

Religion

Most residents profess Catholicism, but their religious holidays often have a national flavor. For example, All Saints' Day (November 1) is celebrated in Guatemala with noisy horse racing.

The region is home to 47 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 31 of which are in Mexico. This list includes both natural and man-made objects, which include not only individual buildings and neighborhoods, but also entire cities of the pre-Hispanic era.

Natural objects

Lake Nicaragua (Nicaragua) is the largest freshwater body of water in Central America and the only freshwater lake in the world where sharks live.
The Belize Reefs are the second largest barrier reef in the world.

Architectural objects

Antigua (Guatemala) - Built in the 16th century during the colonial era, it was the capital of Guatemala, but was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1773.
Statue of Liberty - located in North America

Intangible objects

Folk dancing (Guatemala)

National parks

La Amistad International Park is located on both sides of the Panamanian-Costa Rican border. The park includes two biosphere reserves bordering each other. One of them is in Costa Rica, the other is in Panama. Both reserves have the same name - La Amistad, which means “friendship” in Spanish.
Corcovado National Park (Costa Rica) - located on the Osa Peninsula, on the Pacific coast. The area of the park is 54,000 hectares. The natural splendor of this remote, almost untouched forest in Central America, the diversity of its flora and fauna, attracts people's attention.
Monteverde National Forest (Costa Rica) - In the 1960s, a group of scientists and local residents established the Cloud Forest Reserve in Monteverde, which eventually included the watershed area. Since then, the reserve has been expanded several times and now covers approximately 10,500 hectares.

In political geography, Central America consists of the following states:

History of Central America

Settlement of the territory

Central America was already inhabited by various cultures before the arrival of Europeans. It is believed that humans began to populate the region with the arrival of North America from Asia or the Polynesian islands about 15 thousand years ago.

Olmec (1150-800 BC)

The ancient Mexican Olmec culture, centered on La Venta, flourished in what is now the states of Veracruz and Tabasco. The Olmecs invented their own writing and counting, and created a primitive calendar. Colossal stone heads were found at La Venta, apparently representing chiefs. Each head had its own helmet, and in pre-Columbian America, a headdress indicated a person's status.

Development of the Mayan civilization

The Mayans, living in what is now Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and western Central America, had a hieroglyphic writing system that has only been partially deciphered, a complex and precise calendar that has been found to be fully comparable to the Gregorian calendar; they are the heirs of the Olmec culture, whose civilization flourished in 1200 BC. The oldest traces of the Mayan civilization date back to 200-300 AD. BC.; then the military expansion of Teotihuacan begins, and for a long time there is no mention of the Mayans; then the Mayans reappear, and, apparently, despite the extremely unfavorable geophysical conditions of the tropical forest, their culture reaches a fairly high level. By 750 AD the Mayans already have four large urban centers (Tikal, Copan, Palenque and Calakmul), around which many small villages and towns arise; however, the existence of a centralized Maya state during this period is unlikely. For some reason, among which the most plausible are invasions and religious strife, between 800 and 900 AD. the inhabitants abandoned the cities, leaving these magnificent monuments to the jungle. After such a catastrophe, Mayan culture concentrated on the Yucatan Peninsula, where between 900 and 1200 AD. AD Many urban centers emerged. One of them, Chichen Itza, was most likely conquered by the Toltecs from Tollan (predecessors of the Aztecs), and became one of the centers from which the Toltecs carried out their raids.

Toltecs (900-1200)

Warlike tribes at a barbaric stage of development. However, after the death of Teotihuacan, they, having inherited the culture of the city, built their own - Tollan (Tula). They were skilled craftsmen, artists and created complex sculptures. The main deity of the Toltecs was Quetzalcoatl.

Aztecs (1428-1521)

The Aztecs came from the northwest and built their capital in the Valley of Mexico - Tenochtitlan - a huge city that amazed with the splendor of its palaces and temples. They created one of the most advanced cultures in Central America. Religion affected every aspect of their lives. They worshiped more than 120 gods. The god Huitzilopochtli was especially revered, to whom thousands of people were sacrificed every year.

Colonization

After Columbus's discoveries, Spanish adventurers headed to America. In 1519, Hernán Cortés entered the Aztec capital and destroyed it. One of the richest countries in the world, hitherto unknown to Europe, became a province of Spain.

Republican era

In the 19th century, there was a state called the United Provinces of Central America, which included the territories of modern Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica (which then included part of Panama) and part of the modern Mexican state of Chiapas

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Central America, an area of territory, is located and occupies the entire southern part of North America, from the Balsas Depression at the southern foot of the Mexican Highlands to the Gulf of Darien in the north-west of South America (sometimes the borders are drawn along the Tehuantepec and Panama isthmuses), between the Pacific Ocean in the south-west and the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the northeast. The total area is about 770 thousand km². This strip of land expands to 960 km in the northwest, where it forms two large protrusions (the Yucatan Peninsula and the territory of Honduras - Nicaragua), and narrows to the southeast to 48 km on the Isthmus of Panama. Being, as it were, a “bridge” between both continents of America, the northern part of Central America has more similarities with North America in all components of nature, and the southern part has more similarities with South America; An important natural boundary is the Nicaragua basin.

Central American countries

Central America includes the following states:

Mexico - southeastern part of the country
Guatemala
Salvador
Honduras
Nicaragua
Costa Rica
Panama
Belize is a British possession.

Population of Central America

The population of Central America in 1974 was approximately 25 million people, including representatives of all three great races of humanity. The indigenous population - Indians - belong to the Mongoloid race; Along with characteristic Americanoid characteristics (see American race), they are distinguished by short stature and brachycephaly. Descendants of immigrants from Europe belong to the Caucasian race; descendants of slaves taken from Africa - to the equatorial (Negro-Australoid) race.

The majority of the modern population of Central America is of mixed, predominantly Indian-Spanish, origin. In El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Panama, this is the vast majority of residents. In Guatemala, about half the population are Indians who speak their own languages. In Costa Rica, the descendants of the Spanish colonists hardly mixed with the local Indians. Panama is characterized by a large proportion of black population (12-15%); In addition, the English-speaking population is concentrated in the part of the national territory under US jurisdiction (see Panama Canal Zone). See also Art. North America, Population section.

Coasts of Central America

Relief of Central America

Most of Central America is occupied by medium-high mountains that are part of the Cordillera system (Sierra Madre Southern, Sierra Madre de Chiapas, etc.). Severely fragmented mountain ranges predominate, cut by deep river gorges, sometimes with areas of smoothed plateaus, alternating with tectonic depressions. From the border of Mexico, where the highest peak of Central America rises - the Tajumulco volcano (height 4217 m), to western Panama on the Pacific side, they are joined by the Volcanic Ridge with many active volcanoes, including those that arose in historical times (Santa Maria, Atitlan, Santa Ana, Cosiguina, Poas, Irazu, etc.). Large lowlands are located only in the north - the accumulative Tabasco and Mosquito Coast (Mosquitia) and the Yucatan Peninsula, composed mainly of limestone with a wide development of karst processes and forms.

Geological structure and minerals. In the northern part there are relatively stable blocks of the Central American Massif and the Yucatan Plate, while the southern part is occupied by the Cordillera folded belt. The Central American massif is formed by a complex complex of Paleozoic and possibly Precambrian metamorphic rocks (graywackes, siliceous shales, diabases, amphibolites, gneisses), unconformably overlain by Carboniferous-Permian and Triassic-Jurassic continental sediments, as well as Cretaceous limestones. Devonian, Carboniferous and Cretaceous granitoids are widespread. The Yucatan Plate is an Epipaleozoic platform; consists of a folded base composed of metamorphic rocks, Paleozoic and possibly Precambrian in age, and an unconformably overlying almost horizontal cover of sedimentary rocks of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic (up to 6 km thick): red sediments of the Triassic, evaporites and limestones of the Jurassic and Cretaceous, Paleogene-Neogene terrigenous sediments.

The folded belt of the Cordillera, in a very reduced form, continues the structures of the Cordillera of Mexico; southeast of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, it is separated from the Central American Massif by the Chiapas foredeep, filled with marine and continental sediments of the Paleogene and Neogene. At the base of this belt, a Paleozoic metamorphic fold complex is exposed in places, which is covered in Guatemala by Late Paleozoic molasse. The main place is occupied by Mesozoic, predominantly Cretaceous carbonate and flysch strata, which host large bodies of hypermafic rocks. In the southern regions of the Mesozoic, products of underwater volcanism of basic composition, formed under oceanic conditions, are widely developed. These areas are characterized by the development of salt domes. The main folding dates back to the Late Cretaceous - Early Paleogene. A strip of folded Cretaceous and older rocks forms a gentle arc and goes northeast under the waters of the Gulf of Honduras.

On various older structures lies a belt of Neogene and modern volcanoes that stretches from Mexico to the Panama Canal along the Pacific coast, parallel to the Central American deep-sea trench. The formation of the Isthmus of Panama, which separated the Caribbean Sea from the Pacific Ocean, is associated with young volcanic and tectonic activity. Among the mineral resources of Central America, gold and silver ores are known, represented by medium-sized (El Rosario in Honduras) and small-sized (Pis Pis, La Luz in Nicaragua) hydrothermal deposits associated with chalk intrusions, and placers (Coco in Nicaragua) , as well as small deposits of antimony and mercury. Small deposits of chromites are associated with hypermafic bodies; with Neogene volcanic intrusions - large porphyry copper deposits of Panama (Cerro Colorado and Cerro Petaquilla). Oil and gas deposits are confined to the salt domes of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

Climate of Central America

Central America lies in the tropical (up to the Nicaragua depression) and subequatorial climatic zones. Due to its position in low latitudes (7-22° N), it receives a lot of solar heat (radiation balance, over 80 kcal/cm² per year, 1 kcal = 4.19 kJ) and has high temperatures throughout the year (the average temperature of the coldest month in the lowlands is from 22-24 °C in the north to 26 °C in the south, the warmest is 26-28 °C; in the mountains at an altitude of 1000-2000 m it is 5-8 °C lower). On the northeastern, windward (relative to the trade winds from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea) slopes there is a constantly humid climate, precipitation falls from 1500-2000 mm per year in the north to 3000 mm (in some places up to 7000 mm) in the south. On the leeward Pacific slopes, precipitation is associated with summer cyclones in the north and equatorial monsoons in the south; winter is usually dry, with 1000-1800 mm of precipitation per year. The interior basins and the low-lying northwest of the Yucatan Peninsula, parallel to the trade winds, receive less than 500 mm of precipitation per year. In the south of Central America, exposure differences are erased and on the Pacific slope the winter dry season is weakly expressed.

Inland waters of Central America

Due to heavy rainfall and the mountainous nature of the terrain, the annual runoff in Central America usually exceeds 600 mm, reaching 1500 mm or more on the Caribbean slopes of Costa Rica and Panama, only on the southern slopes of the Southern Sierra Madre and in the north-west of the Yucatan Peninsula is the runoff layer less than 100 mm. The river network is dense, with the exception of the Yucatan Peninsula, which is almost devoid of surface watercourses. Short, stormy, rapids rivers predominate; the largest are Motagua, Patuca and Coco. The rivers of the Atlantic Ocean basin are full of water throughout the year; Rivers flowing into the Pacific Ocean are characterized by sharp fluctuations in flow and severe summer floods. There are many lakes in tectonic basins, including the largest ones - Nicaragua, Managua, Izabal, Atitlan.

Soils and vegetation of Central America

The soil and vegetation cover of Central America is very diverse. The lowlands and northeastern windward slopes up to an altitude of 800 m (Tierra Caliente belt) are dominated by tropical evergreen forests on red-yellow lateritic, predominantly ferrallite soils; they contain many palm trees, trees with valuable colored wood, vines, and epiphytes. Significant areas, especially in the Tabasco lowlands, are swampy; the shores are lined with mangroves. Near the coasts there are plantations of bananas, cocoa, pineapples and other tropical crops; in the arid north-west of the Yucatan Peninsula, where xerophilous forests and shrubs grow, there are agave (henequen) plantations. Altitudinal zones are clearly defined in the mountains. Up to an altitude of 1700 m there is a belt of Tierra Templada, where heat-loving species disappear and tree ferns predominate; from an altitude of 1700 m (Tierra Fria belt) - mixed forests of evergreen deciduous (oaks, magnolias, etc.) and conifers; above 3200 m alpine meadows occur in fragments, in the south - high-mountain equatorial paramos meadows. On the highlands, on mountain red and brown-red laterized soils, coniferous-hard-leaved, and in some places pure pine forests are common; Pasture cattle breeding is developed here, corn, potatoes, and legumes are grown. On the Pacific slopes there are predominantly deciduous (during drought) tropical forests (ceiba, coccoloba, etc.) on mountain red ferrallitic soils, giving way below, in the driest areas and in the interior basins, to spiny woodlands, shrubs, thickets of cacti and secondary savannas on brown-red soils; coffee plantations (at an altitude of 600-900 m), tobacco, sugar cane and cotton. The floristic composition is characterized by a predominance of North American species north of the Nicaragua basin and South American species south of it.

Fauna of Central America

Faunistically, Central America is included in the Neotropical zoogeographic region. There are broad-nosed monkeys, peccaries, tapirs, armadillos, jaguar, blood-sucking bats, many birds, reptiles and insects. The northern part is also characterized by representatives of North America - lynxes, raccoons, many rodents (gophers, hares, squirrels, shrews, sac rats, etc.). There are endemic species among tapirs, rodents, bats and birds.

James P., Latin America, trans. from English, M., 1949; Physical geography of parts of the world, M., 1963; National processes in Central America and Mexico, M., 1974; Khain V. E., Regional geotectonics, M., 1971; Roberts R. J., Lrving E. M., Mineral deposits of Central America, Wash., 1957; Dengo G., Estructura geológica, historia, tectónica y morfologiá de América Central, Mekh., 1968; Schmieder O., Geografía de America Latina, Méx., 1965 (lit.).

Central America is a land of sun and sandy ocean beaches, tropical plants and wild animals. And only here you can get acquainted with the pyramids of the ancient Mayan culture, which still surprises humanity.

Central America - location and terrain features

By its geographical location, Central America is often classified as a territory, but due to its historical features, this continent can be considered as a separate part of the world. When the First Mexican Empire collapsed in 1823, what is now Central America was home to a separate state called the Federation of Central America for almost twenty years. After this, civil wars led to the collapse of the Federation and it was no longer possible to restore the union. However, in this way Central America earned its status as a separate continent.

Countries belonging to the lands of Central America:

Salvador
Belize
Nicaragua

Residents of these countries speak predominantly Spanish.

Central America covers a fairly small territory, but cleverly includes seven medium-sized states. Its entire territory is a narrow strip of land against a blue background. Moving smoothly from northwest to southeast near the Panama Canal, the territory gradually narrows from 960 kilometers to 48. Central America can rightfully be called a bridge that connects North and South America, thanks to which the countries of this continent mainly live on cargo transportation, that pass through its territory.
Central America is characterized by mountainous terrain, which occupies most of its territory. This includes mountains of medium altitudes, which are combined into the Cordillera mountain system: Sierra Madre de Chiapas, Sierra Madre Southern, etc. The Tajumulco volcano is considered the highest point in Central America, rising to a height of more than 4200 meters. A huge volcanic ridge begins along the Pacific coast behind the Tajumulco volcano. Many of the volcanoes that it includes are still active today, and some of them arose in ancient times - Santa Ana, Atitlan, Poas and others.

Water wealth of Central America

It is worth noting the fact that almost all countries of Central America are washed by the waters of two oceans: the Pacific and. It is thanks to this feature that tourism in these countries flourishes.
But in addition to the external ocean waters, this small continental zone impresses with the diversity of its internal waters. Thanks to the mountainous terrain and large amounts of precipitation, Central America has a huge network of rivers and streams that flow in proud and seething streams across its territory. The largest rivers are the Coco, Patuca and Motagua. Lakes are no less common, among which the largest are considered to be Izabal, Atitlan, and Managua.
Off the coast of Central America lies an incredible pool of the legendary Caribbean Sea, which not only impresses with the diversity of its aquatic world, but also, thanks to its gentle and warm waters, attracts a huge flow of travelers.

Features of the climate of Central America

The geographic location of Central America near the equator and mountainous terrain determine the hot and humid climate on its territory. The climate here is tropical and subequatorial. Low latitudes ensure that Central America receives large amounts of solar heat and guarantees high temperatures throughout the calendar year. On the mountain slopes a humid climate prevails due to large amounts of precipitation. In summer, the weather can be quite rainy, but quickly gives way to the velvety rays of the sun. And winter is always dry and warm, except on the slopes, where it can be a little damp.
The temperature drops quite rarely and can range from 22 to 28 degrees Celsius. Only on mountain peaks does its value drop by 5-8 degrees. Warm sunny weather attracts tourists all year round. In order to understand what kind of climate is on the mainland, just look at what the weather is like in Costa Rica. Typically, the climate of this country well reflects the climatic situation throughout the continent.

Nature and fauna of Central America

The hot climate of the mainland entails specific features of nature. The trees and herbs growing here are so diverse that they are definitely worth your attention. Here you can see evergreen tropical forests that impress with the elegance and grandeur of their palms, vines, epiphytes and other trees, the wood of which is highly valued in the world of building materials. The swampy areas present their mangroves, which spread in a mighty and dense carpet. The coasts of the seas and oceans delight with fragrant pineapples, bananas and cocoa trees. The higher the mountains rise, the more the vegetation cover of the area changes. Pine forests, ferns, deciduous oaks, and blooming magnolias appear. And high in the mountains, paramos meadows may appear as small green patches. The arid areas of Central America welcome us with their large-scale plantations of tobacco, sugar cane and, of course, coffee.
Among the local animals you can meet broad-nosed monkeys and tapirs, jaguars and armadillos, hundreds of species of snakes and insects, strange tropical birds and even real vampires - bats that sometimes drink human blood.
Rare and endangered species of birds, bats and tapirs also live in Central America. And, of course, some of the most common representatives of the local fauna are lynxes, raccoons and gophers, with which farmers often have to fight.

Sights of Central America

This small, compared to the rest, continent of our planet is not inferior to anyone in the diversity and splendor of its interesting and historical places. In order to be convinced of this, we need to get acquainted with its most colorful sights.

The Blue Hole National Park

TheBlueHoleNationalPark National Park in Belize - the lush tropical Yucatan Peninsula is almost half covered with protected areas and national parks. The coastal regions of the English-speaking region delight the eye with their mirror lakes and sea lagoons with picturesque coral reefs. However, the pearl of these lands will always be the tangled tropical jungle, hiding the ancient ruins of Mayan cities from the inquisitive eye.

City of Copan

Back in the 19th century, historians discovered the mighty Mayan stone pyramids, as well as their sacred temples with amazing masterpieces of ancient culture on the territory. This is the city of Copan. Hundreds of thousands of tourists come there every year to experience the incredible history of past civilizations. Moreover, the local natural features also allow extreme sports enthusiasts to enjoy rafting along wild mountain rivers or simply soak up the sun on the local sandy beaches under splayed palm trees.

This is only a small part of all the beauties and attractions that the Central part of America is rich in. A variety of picturesque parks (in Guatemala, Costa Rica) and historical museums, as well as unsurpassed nature and untouched places are waiting for you to touch them and go on a fabulous journey through Central America. And you can be sure that such a trip will forever give a piece of your heart to this incredibly beautiful continent.

Have a nice trip!

To the continental Central America There are seven states: from Guatemala and Belize in the north to Panama in the south. It is a geographical link between South America and North America. Subregionally, these countries belong to Middle America, but some experts call Central America a separate cluster of the entire American continent. The listed countries, although not possessing high economic indicators, are serious players on the political map of the continent. This is achieved through transport arteries and hubs, without which the development of all of America would not proceed at such a high pace as it does now.

The main transport arteries of the subregion can be considered the Panama Canal, opened to ships back in 1920, the highway and the railway. Thanks to these factors, the countries' economies grow in amounts from several tens of millions to 2-3 billion dollars (these figures are for Panama) annually.

Maritime cargo flows from the west coast of the United States and vice versa alone allow the economy of the Latin American subregion to develop. The world's longest Pan-American Highway also runs through these countries. A complete picture of this highway is prevented from being realized by the so-called Darien Gap - an area in Panama covered with dense forest and swamps. The Pan-American Highway is another transport vector that helps maintain the economic well-being of Central American countries at an acceptable level.

However, despite the obvious geopolitical advantages of the Central American states, there are many unresolved problems, the main one of which remains the outflow of capital and human resources, mainly to the United States and South America.

Most countries Central America have access to both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. This allows us to maintain the tourism business at a good level. Belize and El Salvador have access to only one of the listed oceans: the Atlantic and Pacific, respectively.

The only state in continental Central America that considers itself a monarchy is Belize. However, the formal head of Belize, Queen Elizabeth II, has virtually nothing to do with its political and economic life. In the capital, the city of Belmopan, is the residence of the governor-general and the prime minister, and it is the latter who directly leads the country.

Belize has unique flora and fauna. Moreover, according to scientists, species of plants and animals unknown to science may still exist on the territory of the state.

Guatemala is considered the most developed in terms of democratic principles in Central America. Representatives of 11 parties and associations sit in its parliament - the National Congress. But so far the country's leadership cannot solve the main problem of Guatemala - the low standard of living of the population. Thus, more than half of the country lives below the poverty line and does not have the opportunity to receive free medical care.

The country with the longest life expectancy in the subregion is Costa Rica. Despite the fact that the standard of living in this state cannot be called high, the average Costa Rican lives about 78 years. In addition, Costa Rica has a very high literacy rate compared to other countries. Central America.

The main languages of Central America are Spanish, English, Creole and the languages of the Indian tribes that once lived in these territories. Moreover, some tribes still live compactly in the territories of Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.

Also see:

Andean countries

In the west, the South American continent has natural protection from the vagaries of the Pacific Ocean in the form of a large mountain range - the Andes. It was the Andes that were the consolidating factor for the creation of a special subregion on the territory of South America, called the Andean countries.

West Indies

West Indies directly translated into Russian means Western India, but this Latin American subregion should not be confused with the western part of the Hindustan Peninsula.